The First Battle/Prologue
Chapter description :Life continues in the mountains, with elders complaining about their bedding and kits needlessly stirring up trouble, despite the departure of several other cats. Gray Wing is watching these cats, although it is unbeknownst to him that he is in a dream. He sees Dewy Leaf with her new kits, and thinks that if Moon Shadow had stayed behind with his family, he might still be alive now. He turns around to see Stoneteller, who explains they are in the same dream, but the others cannot see them. He spots his mother, Quiet Rain, in her east watching the movement of light. He asks her if she is alright and Stoneteller replies that she is. As Gray Wing talks about how he wishes he could share the success of the parting cats' lives on the moor with Quiet Rain, he can't help feeling as if he'd let them down - due to the separation of the once united cats into two groups, moor cats and forest cats. He comes to realization that he failed his brother, his other brother, and his mother. :Stoneteller convinces the young tom that it isn't his fault. She explains that having little makes cats share, but having too much makes them greedy, referring to the little prey that the mountain cats have, and the multiple food that the forest cats have. Gray Wing wonders if she knew what he was thinking, recalling on how he and Clear Sky had fought through everything together, but now they faced each other as pure rivals. Stoneteller tells her that she has lived long, and warns her former Tribemate that greed is only the beginning, and that there will be war. Gray Wing asks if it will be with Clear Sky, and he is reassured to not be afraid by her. Gray Wing wonders how he can fight his own brother, but Stoneteller tells him to remember the cats who love and trust him, and not focus on him and Clear Sky's division. Stoneteller asks about Turtle Tail, and praises Gray Wing on realizing the depths of her love for him. :She then asks Gray Wing why he has come here. Gray Wing closes his eyes, and recalls everything that had happened in the moor since the cats had found it. He tells Stoneteller that they had brought death to the woods. Stoneteller corrects him, saying that they brought change. Gray Wing counters her, asking if all change must be born in blood - and that he only wanted to keep his friends safe. Stoneteller reminds him that they are all born in blood, and it marks the beginning, not an end. Gray Wing is nervous on whether there is more blood to come, but before he can receive answers, Stoneteller starts to fade within mist. Gray Wing begs her to come back - but there is no need, for she has and will always have trust in her old friend. The same mist covers his eyes and he struggles for breathe until he could see no more. Characters Major *Stoneteller }} Minor *Misty Water *Lion's Roar *Dewy Leaf *Dewy Leaf's four kits *Twisted Branch *Snow Hare }} Mentioned *Quiet Rain *Jagged Peak *Clear Sky *Turtle Tail *Pebble Heart *Owl Eyes *Sparrow Fur *Tom }} Notes and references de:Der erste Kampf/Prolog Category:Chapter subpages Category:The First Battle Category:Dawn of the Clans arc